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President Anura Kumara Dissanayake poses for the traditional photograph with US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump upon arriving for the dinner reception hosted by the US President for world leaders at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on Tuesday. In an X post yesterday, President Dissanayake said, “Engaged in a cordial discussion [...]
New move to fast track corruption cases against public officials
Changes to Parliament Standing Orders proposed to allow COPE and COPA to refer allegations directly to Police or CIABOC, bypassing the AG By Chandani Kirinde and Damith Wickramasekera Public officials facing allegations of bribery or corruption after scrutiny by the two parliamentary oversight committees—COPE and COPA—will be referred directly to the police or the Commission to [...]
Energy Minister’s case 49th on CIABOC’s list of 69
By Ranjith Padmasiri The decision by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) to file action against Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody following corruption complaints over misappropriation of funds while serving at the Fertiliser Corporation in 2015 is on track, a senior official said. He said that action is being taken to process [...]
15 HCs in Colombo to be made subject specific to expedite cases
Fifteen High Courts in Colombo are expected to be assigned to hear cases of separate subjects under a revised system introduced to expedite cases on the directions of Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena. According to the Chief Justice’s instructions to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), one High Court under Judge Mohmed Mihail will be exclusively [...]
President issues gazette, pruning Port City tax concessions
By Namini Wijedasa In accordance with the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) guidelines, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in his capacity as Finance Minister, has issued a gazette reducing the duration and scope of tax exemptions and incentives granted to businesses investing in the Colombo Port City. The revision applies to both “primary businesses of strategic importance” [...]
As Govt. expedites CEB carving up, trade unions talk to ILO
By Namini Wijedasa The government is speeding ahead with carving up the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) into separate companies, having this week circulated a draft “preliminary transfer plan” (PTP) which details how the utility’s various activities, assets and liabilities will be distributed among successor entities. A draft corporate governance structure, recruitment and selection policy and [...]
Opposition renews demand for release of e-visa forensic audit
By Ishu Bandara Opposition politicians are renewing their demand for the release of the forensic report on the e-visa contracts. This follows Tuesday’s Supreme Court ruling that sentenced former Controller General of Immigration and Emigration Harsha Ilukpitiya to two years in prison for contempt of court after he failed to arry out the court’s order [...]
New Zealand keen to promote Sri Lanka: HC tells tourism expo
By Wasantha Ramanayake New Zealand is keen to promote Sri Lanka as a key tourist destination, and hopes tourist arrivals would exceed 20,000 in 2026, High Commissioner David Pine said in Colombo yesterday. Delivering the keynote address at the inaugural ceremony of ‘Sri Lanka Tourism Expo 2026′ marking World Tourism Day 2026 at One Galle [...]
Camaraderie on- field: A different ball game in Colombo
While their national cricket teams are embroiled in an on-field fiasco at the Asia Cup 2025, now underway in Dubai, with India refusing to shake hands with their Pakistan counterparts, at the Racecourse ground in Colombo, a total opposite was witnessed at the Under-17 SAFF Cup football championship where eight countries from the South Asian [...]
HSBC’s global strategic shift frees up turf for domestic banking sector
By Kapila Bandara Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corp (HSBC) this week announced it will divest its Sri Lanka’s retail banking business to Nations Trust Bank (NTB), a move the bank states is in line with the strategic shift of its global operations underway over many months. Global banks have been adapting to a shifting macroeconomic [...]
The Protection of Occupants Bill gets Cabinet nod
The Government will introduce a new bill to parliament to prevent a landlord from ejecting persons from occupation of premises. The Protection of Occupants Bill has been given Cabinet approval and published in the Gazette by the Minister of Justice and National Integration. The provisions of this Act will apply to a person who is [...]
Mount Lavinia Magistrate rejects bid to name ministers, mayor as suspects in forged deed case
By Ranjith Pathmasiri Mount Lavinia Magistrate Pasan Amarasekara on Friday rejected a request to name as suspects Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe, Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe and Kaduwela Mayor Ranjan Jayalal in the case involving a building belonging to a trust known as the National Workers’ Institute. The magistrate said that investigations conducted so far by the [...]
Investigators peel back layers to find political links of detained underworld figures
By Ishu Bandara Recent drug busts and arrests have uncovered not only the dealers but also unearthed details on underworld operations, links with security forces figures and police leading to the detection of large caches of weapons. The recent arrest of organised crime suspect Mandinu Padmasiri, also known as Kehelbaddara Padme, in Indonesia is yielding [...]
Technical barriers slow down Colombo’s waste management project
By Dilushi Wijesinghe The long-delayed Aruwakkalu Sanitary Landfill in Puttalam, promoted as a long-term solution to Colombo’s garbage crisis, is now expected to begin operations by the end of this year, with full-scale disposal likely from early 2026, says the Urban Development Ministry’s Solid Waste Management Project Director W.H. Dias. He told the Sunday Times [...]
Bribery Commission records over 3,900 complaints in seven months
Bribery Commission receives whopping 3937 complaints this year compared to last year’s 240. The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) received 3937 complaints during the first seven months of this year compared to a total of 240 complaints recorded last year. From a school principal to broker, at least 49 people were [...]
Voices from ‘lived’ experiences to the fore MSF’s ‘Scientific Days Asia’ 2025
By Kumudini Hettiarachchi It was not just another conference and exhibition—where important people meet, discuss and then go their own way. The 2025 edition of ‘Scientific Days Asia’ of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF – Doctors Without Borders), held in Colombo on the rainy Friday of September 19, struck a unique chord. It was evident that [...]
Peradeniya gardens displays Sri Lanka’s botanical legacy in tribute to British founder
By Nidarshani Wickramasinghe Today will be a landmark day in Sri Lanka’s cultural and botanical history as the ‘Moon Museum’ the country’s first and only museum dedicated to the botanic garden, opens in the Royal Botanic Garden, Peradeniya. The opening is part of the bicentennial celebrations of one of Asia’s most renowned gardens. The museum [...]
Come say hippo-hooray: Zoo plans naming bash for baby hippo on National Children’s Day
By Kasun Warakapitiya The National Zoological Gardens will host a naming ceremony for a newborn Nile hippopotamus, along with other events, to mark National Children’s Day on October 1. The zoo’s Director General, Dr Chandana Rajapaksa, told the Sunday Times that the public had been invited to submit names for the newborn baby hippo and [...]
Pachyderms in musth get a ‘sanatorium’ at Pinnawala
By Rekha Tharangani Fonseka For the first time in Sri Lanka, a concrete enclosure reinforced with thirty tons of wire has been constructed to care for elephants during their musth period at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. Built at a cost of Rs 66 million rupees, this facility breaks away from the centuries-old practice of [...]
Oceanswell brings the ocean’s wonders ashore in Colombo
By Malaka Rodrigo Sri Lanka’s marine conservation organisation, Oceanswell, led by Dr. Asha de Vos, recently joined hands with the Natural History Museum in Colombo to host a one-of-a-kind programme dedicated to exploring the country’s oceans. The event invited schoolchildren, families, and curious visitors to experience the depths of the marine world without leaving the [...]
Winds of change: Record kitesurf journey boosts Sri Lankan tourism
By Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe A group of 19 local and international kitesurfers completed a nearly 200-kilometre journey from Anawasala point in Kalpitiya to Talaimannar in a bid to showcase the sport and boost tourism. Participants from Russia, Germany, Italy, and Sri Lanka took part in the ride, which was described as the longest attempt of [...]
X-Press Feeders says judgment undermines “limitation of liability,”
By Tharushi Weerasinghe The Singapore-based shipping company has failed to pay the first instalment of compensation due this week under a Supreme Court order requiring US$1 billion in damages for the 2021 X-Press Pearl disaster, petitioners told the court on Thursday. “They have not complied with the order requiring them to pay US$250 million this [...]
Natha Devale claims the silver replica of the stolen Rajasinghe II gold crown
By L B Senaratne The Basnayake Nilame of the historic Dodanwela Natha Devale, Akalanka Bandara Werapitiya, called for the silver replica of the original golden crown that King Rajasinghe II gifted to the devale, to be enshrined within the devale again. The original golden crown, gifted by the monarch after his victory at the historic [...]
Diyawadana Nilame voters list yet to be finalised
The Buddhist Commissioner’s Department has not yet finalised the number of votes in the forthcoming elections to select a Diyawadana Nilame for the Sri Dalada Maligawa to be held on November 7 at the Senkadagala Buddhist Society Hall on Dharmapala Mawatha as in previous years, which could accommodate the voters. Though the figure had been [...]
“We did not make arbitrary decisions, we did not take malicious decisions”: CJ Surasena
By Ranjith Pathmasiri Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena has vowed to prioritise addressing the issue of law delays which discourages people from seeking legal recourse and makes them suffer injustice in silence. “It is no secret that in today’s context a person would not want to litigate unless it is really necessary to do so. [...]
Na-Uyana railcar tragedy: Rescuers recall frantic search in the dark for monks
By Sunil Kahagalla and Chandani Dissanayake The continuous ringing of the dong at the Na-Uyana forest monastery on the Dummiya mountain range on Thursday night, alarmed the villages. Villagers started rushing towards the monastery, knowing that something was amiss. “My house is located close by, and usually the dong is rung at the time of [...]
Food hygiene scrutiny handicapped due to old laws and lack of labs
How clean are eateries and restaurants you visit? By Kasun Warakapitiya Public health officers are grappling with archaic laws, shortages of staff and lack of laboratories as they continue to check food outlets and restaurants that break the law. The Sunday Times observed that canteens, eateries, restaurants and even kiosks were charging high prices for [...]
Nine-year-old’s vigilance saves a life
Pix and text by Palitha Ariyawansa A nine-year-old girl’s quick thinking averted tragedy at the Bandarawela railway station when she spotted a man lying on the track beneath the stationed Calypso train, moments before its departure. Senuki Hiyara, a Grade 5 student of Archimedes International School, was playing with her younger brother when she looked [...]